Class of 1988 Fall Letter

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By Erica Kennedy

December 6, 2012

Fall 2012

Dear Member of the Class of ’88,

Hope this finds you well as the new school year is underway. Because I work in higher education, even if it’s a seminary, I find joy in reading the “mindset” list published by Beloit College each year. Sometimes I feel older and out of touch, but most years I give thanks for the experiences of Luther College and realize some things haven’t changed that much...right?!? Other than, we still used typewriters and were thrilled to have phones in our rooms. Here’s a little excerpt from the 2012 Mindset List to take you back…

This fall, “Almost 2 million first-year students will head off to college campuses around the country. Most of them will be about 18 years old, born in 1990 when headlines sounded oddly familiar to those of today: Rising fuel costs were causing airlines to cut staff and flight schedules; Big Three car companies were facing declining sales and profits; and a president named Bush was increasing the number of troops in the Middle East in the hopes of securing peace. However, the mindset of this new generation of college students is quite different from that of the faculty about to prepare them to become the leaders of tomorrow.

The class of 2012 has grown up in an era where computers and rapid communication are the norm, and colleges no longer trumpet the fact that residence halls are “wired” and equipped with the latest hardware. These students will hardly recognize the availability of telephones in their rooms since they have seldom utilized landlines during their adolescence. They will continue to live on their cell phones and communicate via texting. Roommates, few of whom have ever shared a bedroom, have already checked out each other on Facebook where they have shared their most personal thoughts with the whole world. It is a multicultural, politically correct and “green” generation that has hardly noticed the threats to their privacy and has never feared the Russians and the Warsaw Pact.”http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2012

Many things are definitely changing at Luther and things are going really well!

New enrolled students total 681 and come from across U.S. and 25 other countries.

Construction on the new Aquatic Center is underway and set to be completed in summer 2013.

Luther College is green! A stunning solar array, the largest in the state of Iowa, now supplies energy for Baker Village and moves Luther even closer to its carbon reduction goals.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute selected Luther to receive a $1.5M grant for its science education program to prepare Future K-12 Teachers. This is an amazing accolade for the college and Luther is now ranked among the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the U.S.

President Torgerson will end his service as Luther’s president this summer. The search for Luther’s next president is underway, with plans to name our 10th president in February 2013.

Senior student, Georgianna "Annie" Whiteley of Wayzata, Minn., was named a Rhodes Scholar. Annie was selected from a pool of 838 candidates nominated by their colleges and universities, and this honor affirms the type of education Luther offers!

Please stay in touch with us, especially as we begin to plan for our next reunion. Mark your calendars for Homecoming 2013, October 4-6. It will be our 25-year class reunion, and it will be great to see you again! Check out lodging options here. Please send us an update or let the Alumni Office know where you are and what you’re doing these days.

As always, thank you for your generous financial support to Luther College. Our class continues to rank high in the percentage of our class who support the college. Your generous donations continue to help make quality education possible for more and more new college students each year. Thank you!

Each year nearly 9,500 alumni, parents, and friends support the Annual Fund with gifts from $5 to $50,000. Strong support from alumni helps Luther secure additional funds from foundations and corporations, and your gift each year helps us to reach our goal of 27% alumni giving to the Annual Fund. Here’s how your class is doing so far this year:

CLASS OF 1988 TOTAL GIVING: $43,978.66 FROM 13% OF THE CLASS*

Have you made your 2012 gift to Luther? Only 68 more gifts are needed to reach 27% for your class. Please visit www.givenow.luther.edu to make a difference for Luther students. Thank you!

Please note: Your Spring 2013 class agent letter will include a listing of your classmates who gave to Luther during 2012. Be sure to make your gift before December 31 to be included.

*as of October 18, 2012

Class Notes

MARIA ANDERSON-DOOLEY is associate professor at Palmer College Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. She has participated in many clinic trips abroad in the last 15 years and recently returned from India.

BRET VAN CAMP is a U.S. Army colonel and commander of the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Fort Polk, La. He earned master’s degrees from Command & General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kans.; from Army War College in Carlisle, Pa.; and from the University of Phoenix.

DANIEL COTTON is president of Cotton Orthotic and Prosthetic Associates in Overland Park, Kan.

PAUL ERICKSEN is director of technology at the American School of Kuwait.

PHIL HULL is director of international programs at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.

DAN KAHL is pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Waverly, Iowa.

SARA KOCH-STANLEY is an operational risk manager at Wells Fargo in Urbandale, Iowa.

TIM OLSON is president of and architect at Big Creek Design Group in Polk City, Iowa.